Monty Bennett’s name will not appear on the ballot for the Tarrant Regional Water District board of directors yet he remains a powerful backstage player whose influence could shape the direction of the district’s business for years to come.

Chris Brassard and Omar Diaz had apartments in mind when they built a 12-unit complex on May Street just south of West Magnolia Avenue on Fort Worth’s Near Southside. Then their leasing agent, Will Northern of Northern Realty Group, suggested they consider selling the units as condominiums.

Rob Golum
(c) 2014, Bloomberg News.
LOS ANGELES — Lucasfilm announced the cast of the next "Star Wars" picture, saying original stars including Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher will join a fresh crop of space adventurers in the new film.

John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson and Max von Sydow will be part of the new cast, the Walt Disney Co. unit said Tuesday on its website.

Disney, which paid $4.05 billion for Lucasfilm in 2012, has already begun production of the secondary scenes for the film, which studio chief Alan Horn has pledged will be a "full meal" for fans of the movie series, one of the most successful in motion-picture history.

The actors who played Chewbacca, R2-D2 and C-3PO will also reprise their roles, Lucasfilm said.

"Star Wars: Episode VII" is being directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and Abrams. John Williams returns as composer. The film opens worldwide on December 18, 2015.

Released multiple times over the years, the six "Star Wars" movies have taken in $4.54 billion in worldwide ticket sales, according to Box Office Mojo, an industry researcher.